


Desperation, perspiration and hair gel

by g_xlatea



Category: Inspector Gadget (Cartoon)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Relationship Study
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:07:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24592033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/g_xlatea/pseuds/g_xlatea
Summary: "I try and I try"OrAn examination of Talon as a person
Kudos: 9





	Desperation, perspiration and hair gel

**Author's Note:**

> Uh, so I'm considering making this an examination of his relationships rather than just a character study (in part cause ppl are can be defined by comparing and contrasting them) So.., might rework it, split the chapter in a general character study and then in relation to Penn.

Talon was an attention-seeker, first and foremost. It was a fact that his main aim was fame and recognition and respect. (Though it felt he would settle for the barest scrap of appreciation now.) He loved being in the spotlight and took every opportunity to be the centre of the crowd. But he wasn't social in the slightest.

That was more Penny's thing. He didn't have many, or any, friends. And he didn't really mind. Oh he could charm a room like nobody's business, but he didn't particularly care to socialize. He wasn't averse to it, talking to Penny was generally the best part of his day (though that was more a comment on how his days went than on his opinion regarding socializing). He was more than content to stay buried in his plans and hair.

Of course this meant that he had no one to talk to. He was well aware that he liked Penny, and he had no problems with acknowledging that, to himself and, occasionally, even to her. He didn't exactly want people to know, because teasing was annoying (and out of his control) and he was a bit of a private person, at least where his feelings were concerned. And also as he couldn't imagine his uncle taking it well.

He knew she liked him back and also that she saw no future for them. She was probably more invested in trying to deny her feelings and hadn't even considered whether Talon liked her. He was in deeper than her probably.

It's not like he saw a future for them either. She would never abandon HQ and well, he wasn't really reconsidering M.A.D. (well, his stance was a bit less hardline than hers, but he was trying not to think about it). But he could see them off duty, just going on a movie date or something. Not likely he knew, not as long as Penny was the way she was. And sides, it's not like he had any free time for dates. They could have been friends, but he had ruined that possibility before it started.

It wasn't like that at first. He found her interesting sure, but initially his "flirting" was more to annoy her than anything else. He played into the cruelty of the thing more than anything else. (Cruelty came easy to him, he wouldn't deny that.) And then suddenly, his one-liners stopped being witty and started being genuine. He gave her his personal number. (She hadn't called it so he figured she didn't realise it was real.) When he asked her out now, he meant it. (He still expected the rejections. His heart might not be in his control, but his brain was.)

They weren't exactly similar, but that didn't really matter. They felt comfortable around each other and conversation came easily, despite no script. He respected her and he suspected she didn't have as low an opinion of him as she claimed.

They were more similar than expected too. Both were extremely prideful, though for different reasons and in different ways. Penny took great pride in her work, her aim was a successful mission, no matter who got the credit. This was a major difference between the two. (It probably had a lot to do with the fact that her uncle and her loved each other. He tried not to think about it). Talon was prideful in that he wanted to be recognised. He didn't care about anything in particular, he just wanted to be known. And he could investigate why, but who needs to open that can of worms.

He knew Penny would never switch sides. She believed in a cause, those types don't switch. And honestly, he wouldn't want her to. And she probably thought he would never switch, the dichotomy between good and evil much too strong in her mind. It wasn't really that simple, but who was he to speak? He preferred evil for the infamy. Good guys weren't known for taking credit after all. (His uncle showed him that bad guys weren't known for giving credit. But who was he to rail against family. He didn't regret unfreezing that iceberg, not yet. He was afraid he would soon.)

It wasn't just rules that kept Penny's guard up he was sure. He had betrayed her. He would fall deeper, she hadn't hurt him and played him for a fool. But what's done is done. He did regret this a bit. Leaving everything else aside, she thought him more amoral than he was because of the backstabbing, and he would have done it differently given another chance.

(He wonders sometimes if he should have just become a straight up HQ agent. He worries that this idle wondering will soon become a fantasy).

That's not to say his feelings interfered with his work. His principles were still the same. He wanted to craft an image and broadcast it to the whole world. She alone wasn't enough to abandon that.

(He had a dreadful feeling that something enough to abandon his dream was creeping on him. For now, he was prepared to stick it out.)


End file.
